The Loft
by GingerLikeDylanKeogh
Summary: It was just an average Saturday night. Film. Food. Friend. But unusual circumstances lead the dynamic duo into hiding in the attic of Lofty's flat...
1. Chapter 1

It had just been like any ordinary Saturday evening. Both Dylan and Lofty had finished their last shift for the week and were both looking forward to having a peaceful Sunday to themselves. As Lofty stuffed some of the contents of his locker into a rucksack, he turned to be met by the doctor, who was hovering behind him.

"Ready?" Dylan asked, in an almost polite manner. Lofty nodded his head and smiled at him.

"Absolutely." He replied, eagerly swinging the bag over his shoulders and following Dylan out of the ED. Watching movies over at Dylan's had become a regular occurrence every Saturday night, which often consisted of Dylan's cooking, entertaining conversation and Dervla's constant need for attention. But since Dylan's boat had been out of bounds for the past few days due to plumbing repairs, Dr Keogh had moved back into the flat with Lofty, Max and Robyn.

"It'll only be a week tops!" Lofty had argued, after a disgruntled Robyn had given him an earful of why they wanted Dylan to leave last time. Nethertheless, she and Max agreed to let him stay.

As they entered the flat, Dylan removed his coat and took Lofty's before delicately hanging them up on pegs by the door. He removed his shoes and placed them underneath, while Lofty trudged into the kitchen, dumping some bags of shopping from the off license he had retrieved on the way. They made themselves comfortable on the sofa while the oven cooked a lasagne Dylan had prepared yesterday night, in a mad hour of wanting to be productive. Lofty's glassy eyes scanned the television schedule for the evening to come, keen to find a programme both parties would enjoy. Max and Robyn had planned to go out tonight for a staff party, but Lofty had insisted he stay at home with Dylan so he wouldn't be left out. His friends thought it odd how Lofty had adjusted to living with Dylan's quirky lifestyle so easily, but the nurse simply shrugged it off. He and Dylan were good friends now and he had grown a respect for the man who had previously called him incompetent. That was all in the past. They had settled their differences; things were different now.

"Star Wars, what a classic! Can we?" Lofty gasped, instantly sitting up from his previously slouched posture. Dylan chuckled at the sight, Lofty reminded him of a young Labrador puppy. He smiled and met Lofty's hopeful eyes, before quickly breaking the contact.

"Yes, if you like" he replied. Lofty grinned, eagerly flicking the screen over to the movie which was due to start in the next 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, Dylan had resided in the kitchen to check on their meal. He pulled out a bottle of wine from the bag of shopping Lofty had laid on the kitchen counter and poured it into two of the only wine glasses he could find in the house. Taking extra precaution not to spill any of the liquid on the cream carpet, Dylan handed his friend the glass and sat back down.


	2. Chapter 2

The film started and Lofty had already laid out over a large perimeter of one of the two sofas in the living room, his eyes open wide as his beloved characters made their appearances. Dylan liked Star Wars too, but he enjoyed watching his colleague's reaction to the film much more. After a while, Lofty noticed Dylan's admiring gaze.

"What's wrong?" he confronted the other man, suddenly feeling a wave of self-consciousness wash over him.

"Hm? Oh nothing. You just… um, it doesn't matter." Dylan bit his lip. Lofty's expression became more confused.

"Sorry, I'm a bit geeky when it comes to this kind of thing. Do you want me to tone it down?" Lofty asked, curiously. Dylan shook his head quickly, wanting to dismiss the idea that Lofty was annoying him rather than amusing him.

"Oh no, nothing of the sort. I just… I think it's cute." He cleared his throat, reaching for the glass of wine to stop him from saying anything else. Lofty blinked at him for a second, before cracking a smile and returning his stare to the illuminated screen. Relieved he had not ruined the evening, Dylan returned to the kitchen to plate up the food. He returned with two plates and the two men tucked in to their meal.The film carried on for another hour, as the two enjoyed countless laughs as well as real analysis of the plot. Dylan had revealed his favourite character was Luke, and this surprised Lofty so much it led him to question him.

"Well, we all love the hero, don't we?" Dylan shrugged.

"Not me, I know no one sympathises but I used to like Anakin best, before he went mental. There was just something about his need to keep his loved ones safe that I just admired." Lofty admitted. Dylan half smiled to himself as he bared the thought it mind. The film was around half way through when they heard the door being tampered with. Lofty peered out of the window; it was Max… with Zoe.

"He said they were over!" Lofty yawned. Suddenly, he realised what the situation would quickly turn in to if an intoxicated Max and Zoe were in the flat alone. He grabbed Dylan by the arm and pulled him up the stairs.

"We need to hide. You know what they've come back here for." Lofty laughed, running up the stairs in a panic. Dylan nodded and followed him.

"If we go in my room we'll have to listen to everything… oh I know!" it was like a lightbulb had flashed above Lofty's head. He pulled down a small flap door from the ceiling on the landing and gently easied a set of ladders to the floor. Dylan looked up into the darkness for a moment, and then back at Lofty.

"You can't be serious." His face was a mixture of disbelief and amusement. Suddenly, the front door swung open and a sea of laughter and whispers began to make its way up the staircase from below. Lofty and Dylan looked at each other in alarm, before Dylan bolted up the ladders - pulling Lofty behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

They fell in a heap on the cool wooden floorboards, pulling the attic door to meet the latch. It clicked shut and the two men began to laugh at the situation they had found themselves in. The loft was dark and dusty, but oddly peaceful. Lofty felt one of the walls for a switch, and clicked it a soon as it met his touch. A small light bulb hung from the centre of the ceiling, barely illuminating the shadows they found themselves hiding in. There was only just enough light for them to see each other's faces. Lofty sat back down on the floor, crossing his legs like a child. Dylan sat up to be face to face with his friend, only a metre separating them. It felt like an odd staring competition, only they were not competing. They simply could not take their eyes off each other. After a minute, Dylan cleared his throat.

"How long do they normally…?" Dylan's voice trailed off. An embarrassed grin spread across Lofty's face, he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Depends really. Anywhere between 20 minutes and 2 hours," he laughed, instantly feel the shock from Dylan's face hit him.

"2 whole - bloody hell! I suppose we had better get comfortable up here for now then…" he rubbed his eyes to adjust to the new dim lighting. Lofty peered around the room for some topic of conversation, but his eyes were only met with cardboard boxes and old ornaments. He could just about make out the sofa Lofty had slept on while hiding in the attic, the blankets and pillows still sprawled over the floor beneath it. Suddenly, he realised something.

"Hey, this is where I got my nickname," he began, anxious that Dylan would be reluctant to listen. Instead, Dylan's eyes lit up. To the nurse's surprise, he actually looked interested. Lofty took this as a sign to continue.

"I stayed up here for ages while Robyn and Max had moved in downstairs. They had no clue I was up here, bless them. But then Robyn caught me downstairs one time while I was doing some ironing, and well… you know the rest…" he chuckled, rubbing his face. He remembered how much had changed since then. Lofty was so grateful for everything Robyn and Max had done for him. They had become his friends at a time where he had no clue what was going on, who he was, what he was doing with his life. The shadow from the lightbulb indicated a smile had crept across Dylan's face, happy at the sight of Lofty's nostalgia. Their eyes met and they sat in silence for a minute, simply smiling. Eventually, Lofty's face looked down, taking the grin to the floor with it. He cleared his throat.

"Did you um… ever have a nickname?" he asked, cautiously. Dylan's face lost its cute smile and turned into a much more serious stare. It deepened and then softened as he continued to look at Lofty's anxious face. He realised Lofty hadn't asked out of sick or cruel motivation, but more of genuine innocent curiosity. Dylan opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. He hesitated, finally replying after a minute of thought.

"I - um… yes. After I went into care, I did get a bit of a reputation… they were always very imaginative with their vocabulary choice, but the children would always favour the classic 'freak' in the end." The doctor sighed, rubbing his arm.

"Oh Dylan…" Lofty finally looked back up, to comfort the other man. His face was more than sorrow, it was pure sympathy. Lofty looked up into Dylan's eyes like a big puppy and Dylan was sure his heart had melted. He never intended to get the other's sympathy, but Dylan just wanted to be held by Lofty now. They continued to make conversation, but all the while Dylan was resisting the urge to just kiss the man who sat in front of him.


	4. Chapter 4

They must have been up there for more than an hour by now. The cool darkness that surrounded them seemed to give Dylan a surge of courage he didn't realise he possessed before.

"Do you remember when you brought that woman's dog into the ED?" Dylan asked, curiously. Lofty nodded without hesitation.

"Of course, why?"

"I'm just really glad you did that, Ben." Dylan admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck, pondering whether he should carry on or drop the idea, but Lofty seemed engrossed in the memory.

"I'm glad you did it because it made me realise I had you all wrong. I thought you were an idiot, but it was me who was an idiot. You're just so kind and warm and loving, everything I'm not. I can't believe I didn't see that." Lofty blinked in disbelief for a moment. He and Dylan were close but he could see that Dylan was being truly honest right now.

"You see it now." Lofty said matter-of-factly. Dylan half smiled at his friend. Without any warning, the lightbulb that dangled above their head gradually faded darker and darker. Soon, they could only just make out each other's faces in the light.

"Well if that isn't irony I don't know what is." Dylan said bluntly. He heard Lofty burst into laughter and this in turn led him to laugh too, but he could feel his cheeks burning up. The doctor could feel his own heart thumping in his ribcage, trying to desperately to get out. Suddenly, Dylan felt a hand touch his own.

Lofty's hand slid into Dylan's palm, filling the gaps with his fingers. Dylan froze in complete shock for a moment, unable to comprehend what was happening – if he was imagining everything. They sat there for a moment in the silent link they shared. Neither of them spoke, they just looked at each other and breathed. Then, Lofty's hand began to move up Dylan's wrist. It rested there for a moment; Dylan wondered what on earth he was doing. Then he realised.

"Your pulse is beating like crazy…" Lofty quietly gasped. Dylan was shaken from his daze; he was forced to come up with a reply.

"I-I… it's, um, it's…" he felt like he couldn't breathe, lost for words in panic. Lofty's face looked serious – what was he thinking? Heart sinking, Dylan hoped he hadn't come to the only sound conclusion - which could ruin everything they had. Dylan raised his brows.

"B-Ben I- I… it's just… I-I don't know-" Dylan's voice trailed off as Lofty's hand glided up his arm and to his chest. It grasped Dylan's shirt and pulled it, prompting Dylan to lean forward. His movement was met with identical movement from Lofty, whose face had already met Dylan's in the darkness. They hovered there for a moment in the suffocating silence. Dylan was sure Lofty would be able to practically hear his heart beating now. But before he had the chance to even utter a "What are you-", Lofty's lips rushed up against him. Dylan felt like his body was collapsing from the inside. He tensed up before finally letting go. This was everything he wanted. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Dylan was here and Lofty was in front of him and he was kissing him and Dylan was kissing him back. Lofty's lips were warm against Dylan's. Without even thinking, his hands were cupping Lofty's face. He carried on until he could not breathe any longer, forcing him to break the bond between their lips. Both men sat gasping for air, suddenly thrown back into the deep end of what was happening.


	5. Chapter 5

"What was that?" Dylan found himself asking, instantly regretting how apprehensive he sounded. He heard Lofty let out a small sigh, shuffling to his feet and then unlatching the attic door. He watched as the light from the corridor below flooded the black oblivion they had shared, like ink bleeding into water.

"Ben wait I didn't mean…" Dylan's voice trailed off. Panicking, he rubbed the back of his neck and decided that direct confrontation would be the only real effective method right now. Stumbling to the ladder, he made his way down. Lofty was only a few metres in front, but Dylan could tell he was bolting for his bedroom.

"Ben stop just let me-"

"It was a mistake, okay? I don't know what came over me, I just thought maybe you… it doesn't even matter, I'm sorry. Let's just forget it." Lofty gritted his teeth, running a hand through his hair nervously. Dylan shook his head quickly trying to make sense of what was happening in his head. Lofty paced towards his bedroom door, but his arm was caught. He whipped his head back in confusion.

"What are you-"

"Whatever you were going to say, just know…that I do." Dylan said firmly, his grasp still on Lofty's arm. His face was soft yet stern, like he was sure of the words coming out of his mouth. Lofty looked down at his grip, and then back up to meet Dylan's blue eyes. There was a moment of pure tension between the two as their eyes locked onto each other. Dylan was unable to break away from the pull Lofty's eyes seemed to have on him, he felt so powerless. Suddenly, Lofty was up against Dylan again. The nurse pushed him against the corridor wall with such force it almost stunned the doctor, but after a second his lips were fighting back with Lofty's. The buzzing feeling returned in Dylan's ears and he was certain that this was what bliss felt like.

"Clearly I'm not the only one who's getting lucky tonight." a voice from behind them laughed. The two turned to see Max leant against his bedroom door down the hall, sipping from a mug with a smug look on his face. Dylan instantly went crimson, but Lofty laughed with him.

"Oh don't mind me, lads. I'll leave you to yours if you leave me to mine." He smirked, giving the two a nod before returning to his bedroom and closing the door. Dylan returned to face Lofty, trying to wipe the blood rush from his cheeks. Lofty grinned at him.

"Where were we?"


End file.
